Monday, June 05, 2006
Where is Comfort?
“Then Job replied: ‘I have heard many things like these; miserable comforters are you all!’” (Job 16:1, 2 NIV)
Today at lunch E and I were talking about how people always fall short in truly comforting others. We explain the situation away, or say something stupid, or avoid the situation (maybe avoid the person). In the above passage, Job is speaking about the words of his visitors. The writer of Job calls the three visitors friends; we might argue that they are not very good friends. But are any of us?
I am going to work my way from the bottom up and show how only one perfect comfort exists—that is God. From the start a person might look for food, pets, or nature to comfort. How is it that these items can comfort at all? My guess is that with all of these items being apart of God’s creation, they some how give us a ‘natural’ comfort. However, we are just fooling our selves with these items. Most of these items will only comfort for a short while, and none of them could careless about our problems. The chocolate bar will eventually be eaten, the bird will fly on, and the nice weather will pass.
How about humans? I believe people can give some of the best comfort. What makes humans different than other created objects is that they are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). This image includes concepts like love, patience, kindness, etc. But we see that even Job’s friends were not perfect comforters. The same is true of family. Most people are dealing with their own problems or cannot relate to yours.
‘You must narrow the type of friends or family,’ you might say. Comfort from Christian friends and family is the best. Since Christians have Christ living in them, I can see where they might be better comforters. However, like other people, they too fall short. Like other friends, Christians cannot enter your mind or know your heart. They are limited.
“Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69:20 KJV)
“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Psalm 142:4)
However, “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
All of the pseudo-comforters above had something in common; they brought you near to God. But nearness to God only solves problems temporarily because the next moment you can be far from God. The only way to have true perfect comfort is to have God—the Holy Spirit—living in you.
“If you love me [Jesus Christ], you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. … On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. … The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:15, 16, 20, 26, 27 NIV)
Today at lunch E and I were talking about how people always fall short in truly comforting others. We explain the situation away, or say something stupid, or avoid the situation (maybe avoid the person). In the above passage, Job is speaking about the words of his visitors. The writer of Job calls the three visitors friends; we might argue that they are not very good friends. But are any of us?
I am going to work my way from the bottom up and show how only one perfect comfort exists—that is God. From the start a person might look for food, pets, or nature to comfort. How is it that these items can comfort at all? My guess is that with all of these items being apart of God’s creation, they some how give us a ‘natural’ comfort. However, we are just fooling our selves with these items. Most of these items will only comfort for a short while, and none of them could careless about our problems. The chocolate bar will eventually be eaten, the bird will fly on, and the nice weather will pass.
How about humans? I believe people can give some of the best comfort. What makes humans different than other created objects is that they are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). This image includes concepts like love, patience, kindness, etc. But we see that even Job’s friends were not perfect comforters. The same is true of family. Most people are dealing with their own problems or cannot relate to yours.
‘You must narrow the type of friends or family,’ you might say. Comfort from Christian friends and family is the best. Since Christians have Christ living in them, I can see where they might be better comforters. However, like other people, they too fall short. Like other friends, Christians cannot enter your mind or know your heart. They are limited.
“Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69:20 KJV)
“I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” (Psalm 142:4)
However, “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)
All of the pseudo-comforters above had something in common; they brought you near to God. But nearness to God only solves problems temporarily because the next moment you can be far from God. The only way to have true perfect comfort is to have God—the Holy Spirit—living in you.
“If you love me [Jesus Christ], you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. … On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. … The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” (John 14:15, 16, 20, 26, 27 NIV)
# posted by Wesley Son of Cornelius @ 12:10 AM 
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The peace that surpasses all understanding! Great post Hair. You encapsulated the heartbeat of the conversation while pointing to the true source of comfort.
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